Saturday, April 6, 2024–2:11 p.m.
-WQZQ Radio-
Two people have been arrested in a shocking case of child neglect.
According to Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader:
An investigator responded to Atrium Health Floyd in Rome where two children, ages 12 months and 23 months, were being treated for malnourishment and dehydration.
The 23-month-old weighed 14 pounds, only twice its birth weight, and was extremely lethargic and nearly lifeless.
Another one of the couple’s children, a 36-month-old, was located at a relative’s house and was found to be underweight as well.
The two children who were being treated at Atrium Floyd were quickly transferred to a children’s specialty hospital for further treatment.
The younger children were not able to sit, stand, walk, or otherwise function as a child their age should due to their condition.
The parents, 22-year-old Joseph David Wilson Jr and 22-year-old Santeria Watkins, both of Summerville, were charged with 1st and 2nd-degree child cruelty, and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
The children have been removed from the parent’s custody and the investigation is being handled by Chief Investigator Jason Burrage.